Schachmann braves cold and rain in Volta a Catalunya to take first WorldTour win

Schachmann braves cold and rain in Volta a Catalunya to take first WorldTour win

Germany's Maximilian Schachmann ( Quick-Step Floors ) braved atrocious weather conditions in the Volta a Catalunya on Saturday to secure his first-ever WorldTour win. Schachmann and Burgos-BH’s Diego Rubio were off the front of the shortened stage for nearly 100 kilometres, with a margin that never rose above three and a half minutes as Michelton-Scott chased hard behind, with the break only 18 seconds ahead at the finish. In a stage run off at a ferociously fast average speed of 45.461kph, Schachmann said afterwards that the extreme cold, with temperatures hovering around freezing all day, heavy rain and sleet, had made racing brutally tough. "I think there's maybe one per cent of the bunch that like this kind of weather, and I'm not one of them," the German said. "I can't imagine how cold it was in the bunch because I was riding hard the whole day, just shaking on ...